Lucky, Lucky
by spero spiro
Summary: Being frozen, blind, and stranded on a block of ice didn't exactly ring of good luck to Toph, but then again, Sokka didn't really believe in silly New Year superstitions. SokkaToph, with hints of AangKatara.


**Lucky, Lucky**

**Note: Written back in December as a big huge thank you for atashinotenshi (on livejournal), who is amazing in many respects that I don't have to list here. She knows how awesome I think she is, and if she doesn't, then I'm saying it here. I saved it until now, because it is meant to be for the Chinese New Year (which I think would be the holiday celebrated universally in the Avatar world). Please enjoy, as I enjoyed writing it! It's very brief and cute, and not necessarily deep and thought-provoking as many of my other stories have been. **

The sound of the tent flap opening and closing quickly jarred Toph out of her reverie, where she had been trying desperately to warm herself. The howling of the icy winds outside was a little unnerving, but she cried out when they penetrated the semi-warm confines of the tent.

"What idiot just opened that tent flap and let all the cold air in?" She demanded, half whining. She was really not accustomed to the climate, and still wondered how she had been roped into the unfortunate experience of coming to the South Pole with Sokka, Katara, and Aang. Surely luck didn't come to people who spent their New Year huddled, blind and frozen, in a tent. Why wasn't she spending the New Year with her family, where it was warmer and she might have been happier?

Ah, yes. She remembered her last visit home, and the disaster _that_ had turned out to be. Between fighting with her father about leaving with Aang and hardly being home, and her mother's insistence that it was time for her to come home and be hidden from the rest of the world, she had cracked under the pressure. Her mother had even suggested that an arranged engagement might calm down her need for adventure. Toph had told her mother to do something very rude with that idea, and hadn't spoken to her family, except through letters, since then. Some luck she'd had the last year.

Sokka cleared his throat. "Well, that idiot would be me. Katara and Aang are still doing something off in the village for the festival. I thought you'd like some company." He took her hands and pressed a bowl of something hot into them before setting down a second bowl and pulling off his parka.

She had been completely sightless since they had arrived at the South Pole, the whole village being built on a giant ice block, rather than any actual earth. She was very unnerved by this notion, but mostly because she had to rely on someone else to lead her around. She kept the rest of her senses on alert, concerned that Sokka might lead her straight into something in the name of a joke, though she was sure he would not find it so funny whenever she found earth to bend again. Neither Aang nor Katara, however, were as in tune with her as Sokka had come to be; years of carrying her and looking after her when she couldn't "see" had allowed him to understand her wants and needs better than anyone. So she was stuck fearing that the holiday spirit might move him to do something in good fun, like lead a blind girl to walk into the pole in the middle of the village square.

"Thanks…" She murmured, smelling the bowl carefully. She was relieved to find that it was _not_ stewed sea prunes, but she had made it very clear the last time he tried to feed them to her that she was not a fan of the stranger aspects of Water Tribe cuisine. It smelled like a stew of some sort, and she frowned, wondering what it could be. "What's in this?"

"Oh…" Sokka peered into his own bowl. "Dad made it… It's mostly fish, I think. Fish, fish broth…" He paused, stirring it, looking for anything else he might recognize. "I think he probably threw some seaweed or something in there, for nutritional value."

Toph sighed, day dreaming of an old-fashioned Earth Kingdom New Year, earth to walk on, firecrackers, and food that didn't involve some sort of squishy, icky creature. She tried to be polite with her food, but simply set it aside when she could tell it was becoming a complicated mess. She thought for a moment, then furrowed her brow. "Why don't you all do things with your food for luck?"

Sokka thought about it for a minute. "I don't think that sort of thing really mattered here." He shrugged, finishing his soup. "It's still good."

Toph resisted making a face, changing the subject. "If there's a blizzard out there, what are Aang and Katara _doing_?"

Sokka started to shrug, but remembered halfway through that Toph couldn't see the gesture. "I don't really know. Finding some luck in the snow?" He realized exactly what had come out of his mouth, how it could be misconstrued, and looked mortified, though it had been intended as a teasing jab at Toph's superstitions.

Toph didn't have to see his face to feel his embarrassment, and started laughing heartily. "Well, whatever they're doing, if it's as bad as it sounds in here, they'd better finish soon, otherwise they're not going to make it back here, luck or no."

Sokka set another blanket around her shoulders and sat near her, staring into the fire. "I guess I could go get them." He remarked with a sullen frown.

"But you don't want to, right?"

"Nope." He agreed, leaning back on his hands.

"Afraid you'll catch them finding some luck in the storage tent?"

While the bright blush crept up his cheeks, Sokka found himself very grateful for once that Toph was blind. "No!" He cried, his voice a little higher than normal.

Toph giggled. "Oh, so you already did, huh?"

"No…" He muttered, sounding a little sullen and confirming her theory. "It's just… you know, weird."

"Weird?" She echoed, pulling the blanket tighter around herself.

"Yeah, you know… My sister being with the Avatar and all. With him like _that_." The words seemed awkward and forced, as though he was having trouble saying them aloud.

"Oh, being in love with Aang and all?" She observed coolly, indulging in his discomfort.

"He's just… you know… the Avatar. And… Katara." Sokka didn't seem capable of finishing his thought process. "It's just weird to think that my little sister grew up so much, and she's off making out with the Avatar. And _he_ is always going to be a little kid to me."

He sounded like he was pouting, and Toph imagined his face, screwed up in petulant unhappiness. She laughed at the image, and he shoved her lightly.

"Yeah, you laugh about it, but he's got hundreds of lives to teach him all the tricks of the trade, and Katara's so in love with him that she doesn't think about the difference in experience there!" He was sputtering and blushing brighter than ever.

"I really don't think Aang is asking Avatar Kyoshi for advice on seducing young Water Tribe girls." Toph told him reassuringly, subduing a giggle. "Or Avatar Kuruk, for that matter, though I'm sure he'd be the one to ask." She added, tapping her chin for added effect, pleased with the high-pitched squawking Sokka was emitting in response.

"No… Just…" He shuddered, rubbing his face, trying to banish the images from his mind. "No."

Toph laughed a little more, letting the conversation die while Sokka tried to breathe again. "This is definitely not the way I thought I'd be celebrating New Year." She admitted, toying with the ends of the blanket.

"What do you usually do at home?" He asked her quietly, intrigued.

New Year was the one holiday celebrated universally by all the nations, and therefore the whole world was looking forward to welcoming another year of peace. The past few, he and Katara had spent it there, at the South Pole, Toph had gone home, and Aang had spent it alone, continuing his duties as the Avatar. When Katara had found out that Aang had spent four consecutive New Years at one or another Air Temple, solitarily performing prayers that he had done with the monks during New Year when they were alive, she insisted that he go home with her and Sokka for the holiday. Sokka had suggested that Toph come with them as well, and though she had made it seem like it was a favor to them that she was going, she really didn't have many options.

"Oh, it's a lot of fun. We set off firecrackers and flew kites, though Mom thinks I shouldn't, there's a really amazing parade through the town, which used to come up to the estate…" Toph trailed off, trying not to make Sokka feel awkward with her upbringing. "Dad passed out money to everyone," She looked wistful for a moment. "For the last few years, I played with the coins and bend them into different shapes for everyone. Dad thought it was frivolous, but we had a lot of fun."

"We?" Sokka sounded surprised, as Toph rarely talked about experiences with her home life in plural.

"Yeah, the whole estate. All the servants, and my parents, and everyone… We all would get together and celebrate. We always make a ton of food, and run through the house, turning on the lights, throwing open the windows and playing card games. For days and days, we'd dress up in the brightest colors we, or at least everyone else, could find, even if we looked silly, and just celebrate. There were oranges, and dumplings, and all kinds of other things. The cooks told me stories, and we did all the rituals that were supposed to bring luck and fortune." Toph trailed off, cutting short the memory. "I don't think they'll do that this year, though." She told him, looking a little disappointed.

"Why not?"

"Well, you know… I was the only one who really thought it was a great idea to celebrate like that. Mom and Dad have a big superiority thing and don't think it's really proper to celebrate like that." She sounded a little sad at the idea. "They think New Year is kind of… a peasant's holiday. They don't believe in luck, or fortune, or any of that."

Sokka's face echoed her emotions. "That's a shame. It sounds like you all had a lot of fun, even with your silly 'luck' thing."

Toph pushed him lightly, in retaliation for his shove. "I think my parents stopped believing in luck after I was born, even though I was pretty lucky to be able to see with my earthbending. Other than that, I'm pretty unlucky."

"I don't know, you were pretty amazing with those gambling schemes."

"Wit and luck are a forked path, one is certain to bring you great things, and the other is not." She told him, as though she were quoting an old proverb, then grinned. "So, what's a South Pole New Year like without all the luck superstitions?"

Sokka grinned, getting comfortable again. "Well, we don't have any windows to open, but we put lanterns outside our tents, and everyone carries one around all the time when they're walking around at night. Everyone makes food, too, and we all share it. We visit one another a lot, and for the past few years, some people from the Northern Tribe come down to visit us, and some of us have gone up there. We do it to reestablish that bond we lost during the war." He explained, sounding wistful and boyishly excited.

"Lately, we've been importing firecrackers from the Fire Nation… The kids really love that stuff. The Earth King sent Aang a whole load of fireworks one year for New Year, and he left them here with us. But this year… who knows what's going to happen?"

"So it's a "fly by the seat of your pants", no-tradition, unlucky holiday here?" Toph sounded amused, albeit a bit wary, of the idea. "Just what I needed."

"Nah, the basic elements are always the same. Eat, drink, be merry. The rest of it is just kind of for fun."

Toph was satisfied with this answer, and settled in closer to the fire, warming slowly. "I'm really glad I'm gonna be here for the New Year." She admitted. "It's a lot better than being with my family after the last time I was home…"

"I was wondering about that, actually… I didn't want to ask, because it seemed like a touchy subject."

Toph waved the idea way. "Nah, not really. Mom and Dad wanted me to come home for good… Mom said a few choice things about me settling down and letting them pick a husband for me, and Dad went off on his thing about Aang kidnapping me, and me being too naïve to realize and blah blah blah."

Sokka tried not to laugh, but when Toph started to laugh, he couldn't help it. "I guess they never got over that whole thing with you running away, did they?"

"Nope," Was her nonchalant answer.

"I'm really glad you did, though." She blushed at this, and he smiled a little.

"Yeah, you all would have been nowhere without me." She joked. "Wandering around blindly, not sure how to deal with one another." She laughed a little at the pun, feeling at ease in Sokka's company.

"Well, not only that," He explained. "I like having you around. Aang and Katara were always off in their own little world, making eyes at each other when they thought no one was looking." At the look on her face, he elaborated. "Aang and I had a lot of "bonding" and all, but there was always this… I don't know. This wall… I was never really sure of how to deal with him, because he was the Avatar, and I was just… me. Katara always seemed to know how to talk to him, though, and he responded to her. They're still like that, really… It's nice to have someone I can talk to and connect to."

The wind howled more loudly outside, and Toph instinctively wrapped the blanket tighter around herself. "Thanks, Sokka…" After a moment, when the mood was passing, she hit him.

"Hey, what was that for?" He rubbed his arm.

"New Year is supposed to be about the future. Stop making me all nostalgic."

"Well, what future do you want to talk about?" He gave her a stern look. "And don't make me talk about my sister and Aang anymore. It's just… creepy."

"Think of how much luck they're probably having right now." Toph deadpanned.

"I can't hear you!" Sokka clapped his hands over his ears, but the laugh in his voice was unmistakable. He threw fuel onto the fire, and when he sat down, was much closer to her.

"What do you want to happen in the new year?" He asked, staring off into the fire.

She looked pensive, a hundred thoughts she couldn't voice to him passing through her mind. "Well, I'd like the peace to stay… I'd like things to calm down more, so we can all settle down a little. I want… Well, I hope a lot of things will happen." She left out her childish hopes that included him, and was a little embarrassed that they had even occurred to her when he asked her the question. Perhaps she wouldn't be so timid if she could only see, she thought.

"That's all?" He sounded surprised. "You don't want anything for yourself?"

"I want to make up with my parents."

He shook his head. "That doesn't count." He laughed, not seeming to notice or mind how close they were.

"I don't really think exclusively about myself. I used to with I wouldn't be blind in the new year, but I can see in my own way now, and I'm happy with my life. I like how things are."

"Maybe you just need some help thinking of things. I want to get better with the sword, and I want to help make things better, but I want good luck too, see? I hope I get to see and do new things, I want to learn new things, I want to get to know people better, I want to kiss you, I want to live a fulfilling life this year."

Toph thought she'd heard wrong, choking a little on her own tongue and reddening. "Say what?"

Sokka pretended he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary. "So, what do you want this year?"

Realizing exactly what he was doing, she frowned a little. "Well, I suppose I want a lot of the same. I want to keep travelling with Aang, and I want to help the world. I'd like some _good_ luck. I really want to be happy this year."

Was she imagining it, or was the warmth on her side Sokka moving closer?

"What would make you happy?"

Was he _flirting_ with her, blind as she was? She blushed brighter.

He was, and she swallowed her inhibitions. "If I say I want you to kiss me, would you?"

She was taken by surprise when she realized just how close he had managed to get without her noticing. Granted, she was at a greater disadvantage than usual, but he seemed to be gladly taking advantage of it.

"Would it make you happy?" He breathed on her ear, and her face burned red now.

"Oh, shut up and kiss me, Sokka." She grumped, while he laughed merrily, wishing more than ever that she could see, so she could smack him, and then kiss him herself.

He was only too happy to oblige her wishes. She couldn't believe her luck.

**End**


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